B
bizorky
Guest
Gardiner options revealed
From burying it to doing nothing, plans exist. But where's the money?
Sep. 27, 2006. 12:57 PM
VANESSA LU
CITY HALL BUREAU
The Gardiner Expressway should come down east of Spadina Ave. and be replaced with a 10-lane street at a cost of $490 million as part of Toronto’s grand plans to transform the waterfront, a long-awaited report recommends.
That is one of four options outlined by the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corp. and its consultants in a report first submitted to the city of Toronto in July, 2004. The $1 million, seven-volume report was released this morning to the Star as part of a freedom of information request.
The partial tearing down of the elevated expressway would "improve the quality of place" and is less costly than removing the entire Gardiner.
There are three suggested methods to replacing the torn-down section, but waterfront officials favour a 10-lane surface street with wide sidewalks and a generous median between Spadina and Cherry.
It would diverge into two five-lane, one-way streets in the section between Simcoe and Jarvis Sts.
The report acknowledges the basic cost would be about $490 million and would slow traffic more than other options. It recommends that this option be the starting point for an environmental assessment.
It is unclear whether the cost estimates have increased since the report was written.
The report has been gathering dust at City Hall since July, 2004 but was never publicly released, even to councillors. Mayor David Miller had said there was no point in making the report public because there were no plans for how to pay for proposed changes.
Two variations to accommodate the demolition of the Gardiner east of Spadina are also offered.
One includes building an underground route west of Spadina, which would benefit the Fort York, railway lands and Harbourfront neighbourhood. At an estimated $1.15 billion, it is far more costly.
The third variation recommends a continuous eight-lane Lake Shore Drive from Jameson Ave. and the Don River, at a width similar to University Ave. Street crossings for pedestrians would be shorter than the other varisations - and the costs would be about $460 mimllion.
The three other options for the Gardiner include:
Do nothing
However, the report acknowledges “the expressway will be sealed in place†by development, and the street environment around it will be harsh and inhospitable.
The cost to repair, replace and maintain the 1950s structure is about $10 to $12 million a year
Replace it ...
East of the Front St. interchange would be a four-lane express road running underground to the north of Fort York from Strachan to Spadina. And to the east of the central area, a four-lane express road running on the railway embankment between Jarvis and Cherry, with Lake Shore Blvd. running alongside it. For the section between Spadina and Jarvis, there would be two five-lane, one-way streets, eastbound on the surface and westbound partly on the surface, and partly below grade.
The cost would be between $1.4 billion and $1.475 billion.
Keep upper structure of Gardiner, but remove some ramps
Under this option, the upper structure of the Gardiner would be kept since it doesn’t restrict pedestrian traffic but Lake Shore Blvd. would be relocated and building below would be encouraged. Traffic would be slower with this proposal and the costs would be about $500 million.
"Urgent action is needed," the report says. "A profound reconfiguration of the Gardiner/Lake Shore corridor is necessary and fundamental to realizing significant revitalization of the Toronto waterfront."
It acknowledges the hefty price tag that comes with altering such infrastructure, but says making changes now would be less costly than later, "once the corridor is further built up, the missed opportunities greater, and the benefit less."
From burying it to doing nothing, plans exist. But where's the money?
Sep. 27, 2006. 12:57 PM
VANESSA LU
CITY HALL BUREAU
The Gardiner Expressway should come down east of Spadina Ave. and be replaced with a 10-lane street at a cost of $490 million as part of Toronto’s grand plans to transform the waterfront, a long-awaited report recommends.
That is one of four options outlined by the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corp. and its consultants in a report first submitted to the city of Toronto in July, 2004. The $1 million, seven-volume report was released this morning to the Star as part of a freedom of information request.
The partial tearing down of the elevated expressway would "improve the quality of place" and is less costly than removing the entire Gardiner.
There are three suggested methods to replacing the torn-down section, but waterfront officials favour a 10-lane surface street with wide sidewalks and a generous median between Spadina and Cherry.
It would diverge into two five-lane, one-way streets in the section between Simcoe and Jarvis Sts.
The report acknowledges the basic cost would be about $490 million and would slow traffic more than other options. It recommends that this option be the starting point for an environmental assessment.
It is unclear whether the cost estimates have increased since the report was written.
The report has been gathering dust at City Hall since July, 2004 but was never publicly released, even to councillors. Mayor David Miller had said there was no point in making the report public because there were no plans for how to pay for proposed changes.
Two variations to accommodate the demolition of the Gardiner east of Spadina are also offered.
One includes building an underground route west of Spadina, which would benefit the Fort York, railway lands and Harbourfront neighbourhood. At an estimated $1.15 billion, it is far more costly.
The third variation recommends a continuous eight-lane Lake Shore Drive from Jameson Ave. and the Don River, at a width similar to University Ave. Street crossings for pedestrians would be shorter than the other varisations - and the costs would be about $460 mimllion.
The three other options for the Gardiner include:
Do nothing
However, the report acknowledges “the expressway will be sealed in place†by development, and the street environment around it will be harsh and inhospitable.
The cost to repair, replace and maintain the 1950s structure is about $10 to $12 million a year
Replace it ...
East of the Front St. interchange would be a four-lane express road running underground to the north of Fort York from Strachan to Spadina. And to the east of the central area, a four-lane express road running on the railway embankment between Jarvis and Cherry, with Lake Shore Blvd. running alongside it. For the section between Spadina and Jarvis, there would be two five-lane, one-way streets, eastbound on the surface and westbound partly on the surface, and partly below grade.
The cost would be between $1.4 billion and $1.475 billion.
Keep upper structure of Gardiner, but remove some ramps
Under this option, the upper structure of the Gardiner would be kept since it doesn’t restrict pedestrian traffic but Lake Shore Blvd. would be relocated and building below would be encouraged. Traffic would be slower with this proposal and the costs would be about $500 million.
"Urgent action is needed," the report says. "A profound reconfiguration of the Gardiner/Lake Shore corridor is necessary and fundamental to realizing significant revitalization of the Toronto waterfront."
It acknowledges the hefty price tag that comes with altering such infrastructure, but says making changes now would be less costly than later, "once the corridor is further built up, the missed opportunities greater, and the benefit less."